“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned. […]
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.”
This week's Advent topic is hope. Hope is a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing. The people of Israel were hopeful, expecting a savior. They were walking in darkness, hoping to find the light. I don't think they were thinking their savior would be born into the world. I don't think they realized they would have to wait for the Savior to grow up. I imagine all those years of wait and hope consisted of them with an image of a man coming to save them. So, the birth of Jesus, the birth of a baby, didn't seem so important to some. They had no idea...
In preparation for Christmas, we prepare to celebrate the eternal life of our Savior. We know he was born a baby, raised, suffered and died on the cross for us. Our hope now lies in much smaller matters (though we may not see it that way). Hope for tomorrow to come. Hope for an end to pain, an end to suffering. Hope to make it to the next paycheck. Hope that we can find the answers we are searching for. Keeping our hope in Jesus can free those expectations we hold in our hearts.
We must come to Him to ask for help. If we don't open our hearts to Him and tell Him our needs, do we truly need it? If we can't confidently say, "Jesus, I broken. I am searching. Please help me keep hope," we may not find ourselves. With hope in Jesus, we can overcome great obstacles that we see in our way. With hope in Jesus, we can find the strength to finish the journey that feels to much for us to take. His grace is sufficient for us! Hope in Jesus can also give us hope in our afterlife.
"Dear God, I have gone my own way and have put my hope in so many things that have disappointed me. Thank you that you sent Jesus, that first Christmas long ago, to be my Savior. I believe He came for me. Forgive me and lead me today. Show me how to live in the confident expectation of how You can impact my life, my character, and my circumstances. I place my hope in You right now and ask You to make Yourself known to me in my life right where I walk. I thank you. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen."
What is your Advent hope? Pray this week that you can find your hope in Jesus.
Blessings!
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